'Batman: Dark Victory' Graphic Novel

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DC Comics delivers a new edition of "Batman: Dark Victory" and does what any great publisher would do to pull in more sales. They add new content to give readers who already have it another reason to grab an updated copy. It also gives folks who haven't picked it up or read it a chance to dive into what entertainment website IGN calls the 10th greatest Batman graphic novel ever released. The title is justifiable as made visible by a wonderfully complex crime tale and top-notch artwork.

Gotham City is once again gripped by fear as a serial murderer copying the "Holiday Killer" is taking out police officers once a month. Is Alberto Falcone finding a way to commit the crimes even though he's on house arrest? Could it be Commissioner James Gordon and Bruce Wayne's good-guy-gone-bad friend, Harvey Dent/Two-Face? Only the Dark Knight can uncover the clues to these sinister crimes.

At the same time, Batman finds himself taking in a kindred spirit. A young trapeze artist whose parents tragically fell to their deaths suspects that it wasn't an accident. He will go to any extremes to uncover the mystery of who might be behind their untimely demise.

Writer Jeph Loeb certainly knows how to keep readers on their toes. "Batman: Dark Victory" keeps you guessing until the bitter end by steering you in one direction and then yanking you in another. This is the shadowy Detective the way Bob Kane originally designed him to be.

Tim Sale's art is one of a kind. He's the type of illustrator where you know his work as soon as you see it. It has a classic golden age style to it, but uniquely blends it with a pop art flavor. I can't think of anyone who could bring Loeb's narrative to life any better for this series of books which was kicked off by "Batman: The Long Halloween."

If "Batman: Dark Victory" were rated like a film, I'd give it a PG-13. It includes violence, language, and some adult situations.

The new edition of "Batman: Dark Victory" boasts a couple new items added to it. One is a two-page introduction to the book by "The Dark Knight" Trilogy's co-writer David S. Goyer. He talks about the influence both "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory" had on Christopher Nolan's films and expands on that. There are also two new story pages added that weren't in the original version.

"Batman: Dark Victory" stands the test of time and remains relevant some 15 years later. It earns the right to be considered the modern classic it is through solid storytelling and incomparable artwork. If you haven't had the chance, read "The Long Halloween" as quickly as possible so you can devour the delicious dessert found here.

The new edition of "Batman: Dark Victory" is available now in print and Kindle editions.

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Eric Shirey is the founder and editor of three-time Rondo Award nominated movie news websites ERSInk.com, MovieGeekFeed.com, and TheSpectralRealm.com. He also served as a news reporter for the award winning movie website GordonandtheWhale.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! TV, Associated Content from Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, KISSOnline.com, and other national entertainment websites. He is currently a Featured Contributor of Arts & Entertainment for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Eric has interviewed and worked with iconic movie and TV actors
like Harrison Ford, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Brooke Shields, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, Josh Hutcherson, Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek, and many more. Besides his three-decades-long obsession with everything sci-fi, horror, and fantasy related in TV and movies, Eric has what some would call an unhealthy love for comic books. This has led him to interviewing and covering legendary writers and artists in the medium like Scott Snyder, Steve Niles, Bernie Wrightson, and Howard Chaykin. His personal website is Ersink.com.